Chapter 22: The Lover

“Indeed,” Long Qi answered slowly.

“If you are quitting now, you should not have entered in the first place,” Xiao Buhui said slowly.

“If I didn’t enter, how would I know what I truly wanted?”

“Fine, I wish you luck.” Xiao Buhui sat up and picked up his wine cup.

“Thank you,” Long Qi smiled. “When we meet on the street in the future, don’t pretend you don’t know me.”

Xiao Buhui’s gaze fell on Su Tang. “Come and have a drink together. This is Blood Cicada Wine; you cannot buy it in Changshan County.”

“Alright.” Su Tang stepped forward.

“Is that it? He passed the test?” Long Qi was somewhat surprised.

“What else is there?” Xiao Buhui smiled. “He is stronger than you; he is someone one can trust.”

Long Qi froze, and his expression became somewhat exasperated. This was understandable. An old leader was about to step down and had kindly brought the newcomer to familiarize him with the environment, only for everyone to judge that the newcomer was stronger than the predecessor. Anyone would be enraged in such a situation.

“Why is he stronger than me?” Long Qi asked with a stiff face.

“You and I are not the same kind of person,” Xiao Buhui said softly. “But he is.”

“Haha, interesting!” Long Qi laughed out of anger. “Then tell me, what kind of people are you?!”

“We are the ones who eat meat,” Xiao Buhui said.

“I… you bastard!!” Long Qi was furious. If the other person ate meat—meaning they were wolves—it was not hard to guess what he was.

“I didn’t say anything,” Xiao Buhui spread his hands.

“Now I know what it means for the tea to turn cold once the guest leaves,” Long Qi said. “However, you should know that I haven’t left yet!”

“That has nothing to do with it. I am just used to telling the truth,” Xiao Buhui said with a smile, seemingly unafraid of Long Qi’s threat. “You understand that after working in this profession for a long time, one develops an indescribable intuition. I can feel that there is a fierce beast hidden inside his body. A voice is telling me that I must absolutely not give him the chance to release the beast within, or, I should become his friend, or, I should kill him right now.”

Long Qi suddenly fell silent and stared at Su Tang with suspicious eyes. Su Tang felt very awkward. Was he talking about me? What “fierce beast hidden in the body”… I don’t even know about it myself, so how did you feel it? This was pure nonsense.

“Don’t let him fool you,” Xiao Buhui said to Su Tang with a smile.

“What?” Su Tang was stunned.

“This Lord Long Qi is an expert at playing the fool. Even the four great families of Changshan County—the Tie, Bai, Cheng, and Mu families—were played by him. However, one can only deceive people for a while, not for a lifetime. Slowly, more and more people saw through his true colors. He could hardly survive there anymore, so he is now making a graceful exit,” Xiao Buhui showed a mischievous smile. “His evaluation of you should be higher than mine; otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked me so many questions to my face. I guess… he might feel that you are hiding some things and wants to use my influence to trick the words out of you.”

Su Tang looked at Long Qi in astonishment, while Long Qi’s stiff face began to relax, and then he broke into a smile. Su Tang did not know what to say. Hearing that girl give Long Qi such a high evaluation, he had been very cautious at first. However, through their interaction, he found that Long Qi was not as profound as he had imagined, as he actually got angry over trivial matters. Consequently, Su Tang’s attitude had gradually become a bit dismissive. For example, when Long Qi asked if he was being a bit too much, Su Tang had given an affirmative answer. If he still had reservations in his heart, Su Tang would not have been so direct.

Only now did he realize that it was all a facade!

“Su Tang, you said you had never left Little Forest Castle before?” Long Qi asked.

“Yes,” Su Tang nodded. He felt very depressed in his heart. He had been careless! He knew how to disguise himself, but that was by no means a special privilege; at least, Long Qi also did it excellently. One must never think that only they are clever and everyone else is a fool. He had to remember this lesson.

“Tong Fei’s Sonic Scream couldn’t scare you, and you could regain clarity immediately from Xiao Buhui’s Demonic Speech. I am curious now, what kind of place is Little Forest Castle… that it could allow you to forge such courage? Haha… I will definitely go visit it if I have the chance in the future.”

Su Tang remained silent.

“That’s enough,” Long Qi stood up. “There are still many things to do.”

“I won’t see you out,” Xiao Buhui waved his hand lazily.

Long Qi and Su Tang slowly left the small courtyard. After walking along the street for a few minutes, Long Qi asked, “Su Tang, what do you think of Tong Fei and Xiao Buhui?”

“They…” Su Tang paused. “Each one is weirder than the last.”

“More than just weird; they are simply monsters,” Long Qi smiled. “The person we are going to see now is the most monstrous and terrifying among them.”

“Even more powerful than Xiao Buhui?”

In Su Tang’s view, using human bones to make countless wind chimes and hanging them in one’s own home, while looking intoxicated as if appreciating the sound every day, was something only the most cruel demon could do. Could there be someone even more cruel than Xiao Buhui?!

“This person…” Long Qi hesitated for a long time before saying slowly, “I cannot figure them out.”

Su Tang did not speak. The two of them walked forward slowly, each lost in their own thoughts.

After a while, Long Qi turned into a small alley. This area was somewhat remote, and the houses on both sides became narrower and more dilapidated, but the human presence was much stronger. There were children playing and chasing each other, people sitting in front of their doors washing clothes in wooden basins, people washing vegetables and rinsing rice, and people gathered together chatting about family gossip. Seeing Long Qi and Su Tang pass by, they looked at them curiously because Long Qi’s dress was very refined; he looked like a nobleman.

Long Qi stopped in front of a small courtyard with red bricks and green tiles. He knocked on the courtyard gate a few times. After waiting for a moment and hearing movement inside, he looked around and saw a group of women of various ages sitting together in the distance, chatting animatedly. Loud bursts of laughter erupted from time to time.

“Wen Xiang!” Long Qi called out loudly.

“Coming, coming!” A tall girl with a sweet face stood up from the crowd and ran over joyfully. When she reached him, she hooked her arm around Long Qi’s, appearing very intimate with him.

The laughter and chatter of the women faintly drifted from a distance: “This little girl, now that her lover has come, she ignores us completely.”

Su Tang couldn’t help but curl his lip. He thought they were coming to find that character who was more powerful than Xiao Buhui, but he didn’t expect they were coming to meet a lover. He had been nervous for nothing.

Upon entering the house, before they could even sit down, Long Qi said with a bitter smile, “Is there a need to be this affectionate?”

“Do you think I want to?” The girl named Wen Xiang let go of Long Qi’s arm and gave him a charming, coquettish glare.

“Why bother? Do you really care about what they think of you?” Long Qi said.

“I grew up being fed by a hundred families.” Wen Xiang’s gaze swept over Su Tang. “You have never brought an outsider to find me. Why? Are you really quitting?”